Girl awarded €10,000 for trauma suffered when bike fell near her

A two-year-old girl who suffered post traumatic stress after a bicycle crashed to the ground in front of her in a toy shop has been awarded €10,000 damages.

Barrister David Staunton told the Circuit Civil Court yesterday that little Katie Campbell had narrowly escaped physical injury when the bike fell directly in her path from a shelf 14 feet above her head.

He said Katie, now aged almost six, had been with her father John Campbell, Foxbrook, Ratoath, Co Meath, in October 2007, browsing in Smyths Toys shop in the Airside Retail Park, Swords, Co Dublin, when the incident happened.

Mr Staunton told Circuit Court President, Mr Justice Matthew Deery, that the bicycle had not struck Katie but she had afterwards shown signs of anxiety and had suffered nightmares.

He told the court her GP had referred her to consultant child psychologist Mr Andrew Conway.

Mr Conway, on the basis of symptoms including hypersensitivity to noise such as thunder storms, fire crackers, cars backfiring, and an unwillingness to engage with other children, diagnosed her as having suffered a post traumatic reaction of a moderate type.

Mr Staunton said Mr Conway had concluded that as a result of the incident in the toy shop, Katie had suffered regression in her emotional, social and behavioural progression.

Mr Campbell, a social worker, was unable to attend court with his daughter today.